Going to the big fair in a short video: The end of the universe is back to the village

As the New Year approaches, short videos about the New Year are all the rage. Keywords such as "going to the big market" and "rural feast" have attracted the attention of many short video users. Why do ordinary things and human touch occupy people's attention? The atmosphere of fireworks in the world is the most soothing to ordinary people's hearts. The author of this article introduces the current trend of short videos going to the big market, and deeply analyzes the consumer psychology behind it. Recommended for those who are interested in IP operation and market consumption.

As the New Year approaches, the wanderers return to their hometowns with the Spring Festival travel rush. The curling smoke from cooking fires in front of and behind houses and the hawking in the market sound the symphony of the New Year. In the ocean of short videos, the grand scenes of going to the big market and eating big banquets also evoke people's emotions.

Meng Yuanlao wrote in his book "Dongjing Menghualu" that the prosperous scene of Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, is described in detail: "The eight wildernesses come together, and all nations are connected. The treasures from all over the world are all in the market; the exotic flavors from all over the world are all in the kitchen." The market and the kitchen are both holy places for human fireworks and a testing ground for prosperous competition. Rare treasures and delicious delicacies are the best embellishments.

Time has passed, and today we are still addicted to the market and the kitchen. On the Douyin platform, the keyword search for "going to the big market" and "rural big banquet" has been played more than 3 billion times. According to the 50th "Statistical Report on the Development of China's Internet", as of June 2022, the scale of short video users is 962 million, and the 3 billion views are roughly equivalent to each short video user watching it three times.

Different from "Dreams of Splendor" which focuses on rarities and exotica, the content presented in short videos is more humane. The seemingly ordinary life makes us stop and take a look with its unique atmosphere of fireworks.

01 So lively

In recent years, the phrase "the smell of fireworks in the world is the most soothing to the hearts of ordinary people" has frequently appeared in the public eye, and to some extent it also tells our yearning. The documentary "A String of Life" talks about: "Without the smell of fireworks, life is a lonely journey." What does the smell of fireworks look like? It is probably that people are busy working for their lives, the hustle and bustle of the city can be seen in the downtown area, there are thousands of lights, and there are also simple meals. It seems that everything will be implemented, and there is "warmth" everywhere. This is the most ordinary appearance of life, and it is also the original appearance of a good life.

Going to big markets and eating big banquets are both ways of exploring the atmosphere of everyday life in relatively large scenes. They embody Chinese aesthetic taste, but ultimately they are inseparable from the word "lively", and the essence is the happy encounter between people.

1. Hot Collection

On January 14, the lunar year in northern China was "Little New Year". Shandong Radio and Television Station initiated a large-scale relay live broadcast "Going to the Big Market Along the Yellow River" with mainstream media from nine provinces (regions) including Qinghai, Sichuan, and Gansu. The theme was "Going to the Big Market Along the Yellow River, Looking for a Journey of Fireworks", which attracted 3.14 million views. In fact, the custom of going to the market is not only in the Yellow River, but also in all parts of the country. During the process of going to the market, people reminisce about their childhood and look forward to the vision of the future. As they go by, a journey of fireworks quietly arrives.

Going to the big market is a folk custom in rural areas. People usually go to a fixed place for periodic market trade. In the north it is mostly called "going to the market", while in the south it is called "going to the market", "going to the market (going to the market)", "going to the market" and so on.

Unlike the trade fairs that take place every day in cities, rural markets are usually held on days ending in the 1st, 4th, 7th, 2nd, 5th, 8th, 3rd, 6th, and 9th of the lunar calendar, and the dates of the fairs in different towns often overlap. The scale of the big fair is relatively large, with stalls connected in a line and arranged in a continuous area, and vehicles and people flow continuously.

Among the many "going to the big market" videos, the one with the most likes and substantive content is the one by blogger @金松的幸福生活, who challenges to have a seafood feast with 100 yuan. The sea cucumber costs 5 yuan a piece, the abalone costs 6 yuan a piece, and the scallops cost 5 yuan a pound. After processing, they are turned into a steaming hot meal. Including the processing fee, it is only 130 yuan, which is extremely affordable. Driven by the influencer, there are even Boli Market Guides on Xiaohongshu.

In the video of blogger @来新疆不要走, the "2 yuan set" of grilled skewers, grilled buns, and watermelons complement each other, and Xinjiang's unique horse intestines narin (noodles) and naan are full of vitality in the bazaar. There are also locals who lead outsiders to see the "big scene", Shandong green onions that are taller than people and taste sweet, and the boss who gives out a big bag and says "a little bit" makes outsiders exclaim in shock.

The characteristics of the big markets in different places are very different, but they all have the common features of large scale, high-quality and low-priced goods, and a large number of participants. People wander in the "big market" world constructed by short videos, some exclaiming "real and affordable", some jokingly saying "I would like to call it the favorite program of southern children", and some directly praising "XX is a good place".

If you ask where the atmosphere of fireworks is the strongest, the market is undoubtedly the most lively one, and the most lively one must be the New Year market. The New Year ballad goes: "On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, slaughter the New Year chicken and go to the big market." Every New Year, we will definitely go out to buy New Year goods. Shopping malls and supermarkets are all covered with "red coats" like treasures, but the most nostalgic place is the rural market.

The streets are filled with shouting and hawking, children stand in front of food stalls and can’t move, adults choose and bargain with vendors in the living area, and occasionally meet acquaintances they haven’t seen for a long time, and people will walk together and exchange the news they know, so all kinds of family news can spread like legs. All kinds of human life grow and spread out from this small place.

In the short video, "After going through a winter and working hard this year, I bring my thoughts to you and knock on your door to send them to you." Once the festive music is played, accompanied by the lively market scenes, it seems to announce that the new year is approaching.

It can be said that the market is not just a consumption venue formed by the accumulation of buying and selling. While playing the role of economic trade, it has gradually evolved into a social activity, unconsciously embedded in people's lives and become a window for the dissemination of rural culture.

We who "go to the market online" on the Internet are immersed in the festive atmosphere, recalling our childhood feelings, lamenting the differences in local customs and customs in various parts of the motherland, and are also moved by these real people. Lower prices, immersive scene experience, and social interaction with acquaintances full of human touch are what offline supermarkets and online e-commerce cannot replace, and are also the reason why people miss the big market.

In addition, as the epidemic control has been relaxed, going to the rural market is more like a shot of adrenaline, telling us that "the fireworks and the human world have returned." From this perspective, the rural market is not only a place for wanderers to return to their homesickness, but also a place where people feel at ease.

Going to the big market with great enthusiasm can become a must-do for people during the Chinese New Year. At the same time, enjoying a big banquet with great joy also releases a different kind of temptation.

2. Feast

In recent years, people often "eat feasts" on the Internet. When a girl exposes the behavior of some scumbags on the Internet, we often say "don't talk about going to the dog's table". When some people deliberately "seek death" or make dangerous actions, netizens will also joke that "eat feasts". Some people even summarize several exclusive music for "eat feasts", namely "Anhe Bridge Suona Version", "This Girl", "Gardenia's Missing DJ Version", "Blowing Trumpet One Table and Eight Dishes", etc., as the saying goes, "When the music sounds, the whole village eats feasts."

People on the Internet are enjoying themselves "eating a feast", but this feast mostly refers to funeral feasts. The big feasts shown in the short videos are wedding feasts, and Shandong big feasts are the main force of this type of videos.

"This is the banquet dish made at my wedding in a rural village in Shandong. All the dishes are processed on site. Today's standard is XX words, XX dishes, and XX soups." When searching for rural banquets, the video will cut into the screen, and there will usually be a narration introducing the special banquet dishes in a local accent. The festive soundtrack records the process of the dishes coming out of the oven. Common dishes such as beef with scallions, pork elbow with soy sauce, four-joy meatballs, crispy meat soup, and shredded pork with Beijing sauce are brought to the table one after another. Because it is cheap and the bowl is large, the visual impact first shocked contemporary netizens.

The grandness of a banquet is not only in the size of the banquet. In this regard, blogger @大坤 gave a brilliant summary of Shandong banquets, saying: "Big pots, big basins and big spoons are used for cooking, and the dishes are served by big sisters, aunts and aunts. The dishes include big chickens, big fish and big pork elbows, as well as big bags that are essential for banquets."

The same is true for banquets, but unlike the cheap and affordable Shandong banquets, the Zhejiang banquets have a stronger sense of wealth. Blogger @我是惶悸妞 spent 200 yuan to go to a rural area in Zhejiang for a banquet, and the price of a table was as high as 4,588 yuan. The dishes included wild yellow croaker, braised chicken burger, grilled lamb chops, cheese shrimp balls, thick soup golden hook shark's fin, etc. The whole screen of food exuded the smell of money.

Regardless of the gap between the rich and the poor, these banquet dishes are usually presented to the guests in a steaming hot state. Pork, beef and lamb are usually the main sources of dishes. The dishes are rich in oil and the seasonings are generally heavy in taste.

The banquet dishes in different regions will more or less have regional colors, such as Shandong's "Four Happiness Meatballs" and Zhejiang's "Wild Yellow Croaker". It is precisely because of the different customs in different places that people can constantly get freshness from banquets on the Internet. This also provides some short video bloggers with new material directions - going to strangers' homes to eat banquets with money.

But rather than eating cooked food, it is better to say that eating is eating the ways of the world. When we watch the big banquet in the short video, we are not just greedy, but also mixed with the memory of the local customs and folkways.

In the days of material scarcity, the big feast was once the most anticipated "good day" for children in the village, apart from the Spring Festival. The adults socialized while the children stared at the hot meals, and both adults and children enjoyed themselves. Of course, due to the large number of dishes, the entire banquet lasted a long time, and it was common for some children to make a fuss and want to go home before the meal even started.

Before the banquet begins, the eight-immortal table commonly used in banquets becomes a source of gossip. The aunties and grandmas sit cross-legged while eating melon seeds and gossiping about the Zhang and Li families, while the people at the same table listen like civets in a melon field. During the banquet, the table with more men is often filled with toasts and food, while the table with women and children is a different story. The delicious dishes are always snatched up, and the bottom of the bowl is left in the blink of an eye. When the meal is almost over, the aunties rush to the table and start a "dish grabbing" competition.

After a banquet, the host's social relationships are fully displayed. The seating arrangement, chef selection, banquet budget, and dish selection are all carefully considered by the host, while the amount of the gift is something that the attendees need to consider based on their friendship with each other. For the host and the attendees, a banquet is more like a socializing tool that ties people together.

From the above, we can see that the reasons why going to the big market and eating big banquets have occupied a place on the Internet are nothing more than the following:

1. The scene is large enough and visually stunning;
2. The grand scenes and the trivialities of life are reflected in coarse and fine, and the grains of life can be seen in the coarseness;
3. The products and customs of different regions show the diversity of the world, which can satisfy people's desire for novelty and freshness;
4. The local customs and people are interesting and simple, without any need for posture;
5. Cutting into real life evokes strong resonance. The enthusiasm of the past forms a sharp contrast with the current environment, and nostalgia arises spontaneously.

02 Rural life, unique flavor

Going to the market and having a big banquet are very normal things in the countryside, but the fact that they can attract so many eyes just shows that we still have a hidden yearning for our hometown in our hearts.

1. Time is slow

Different from the fast-paced, performance-oriented life in the city, rural life is buried deep in people's hearts in a "silent and gentle" way. Whether it is going to a big market or eating a big banquet, they are all concrete manifestations of "time was slower in the past". In remote villages with inconvenient transportation, gatherings and banquets can bring a short-term excitement, and record the passage of time with their unique scale, which is becoming more and more precious today.

Philosopher Han Bingzhe concluded in "In the Crowd: Mass Psychology in the Digital Media Age": "The digital age is not an age of leisure, but an age of performance." When digital devices become a necessity of life, the "eight-hour work system" is extended indefinitely, any place can become a workstation, and any time can become working time. Involution and performance-oriented thinking invade people's lives in all aspects.

Under heavy pressure, there must be resistance, so we go to the opposite of achievement, and shackle ourselves in fatigue and loneliness. Going to the big market and eating big banquets, which were easy to get in the past, have become another luxury. The big markets and banquets in short videos merge with the memories of the past and become the "little happiness" in people's lives. The lively scenes are full of healing.

2. Acquaintance Society

The famous sociologist Mr. Fei Xiaotong said in "Rural China": "One of the characteristics of rural society is that people in this society grow up among acquaintances. " Acquaintances are the texture of rural society and the most important "additive" in the atmosphere of fireworks. The bustle among acquaintances dispels people's fatigue and loneliness with its noisy appearance and soft interior. When we immerse ourselves in the strong human touch contained in the big fairs and banquets, we taste the true flavor of fireworks.

Both the big fairs and the big banquets are lively, and this liveliness comes from the socializing among acquaintances. In rural settlements, although we may not be 100% familiar with each other, the familiarity of people in a village can basically reach 60%. This also means that we have to socialize when we go out.

Socializing is inevitable in relatively large occasions such as big markets and big banquets. It is precisely such scenes composed of "acquaintances" that provide a unique humanistic and emotional value, which is difficult to provide in the modern commercial economy built of steel bars and concrete. The interaction in real scenes makes the big markets and big banquets with local characteristics flash with the atmosphere of fireworks.

3. The Land of Imagination

The countryside has its own unique charm, and all of the above can illustrate the "truth" of the countryside. But what makes the rural culture behind the big market and the big banquet become the traffic code is more because short videos have built a perfect imagination for people. Why do I say this? Just put your eyes back to reality.

The world in short videos is always processed in multiple ways. Shooting, editing, and interpretation make a video take root, which in a sense also implies the inevitability of its distortion. Under the magic of memory filters, the big market in short videos is crowded with people and the atmosphere is warm, which is a place where fireworks gather. However, many markets in reality have the inherent problem of being "dirty, messy and poor". The low cultural level of vendors makes food safety always a concern. Some markets even engage in "false propaganda".

As for banquets, compared with the lively atmosphere in our memory, the human touch of banquets nowadays has long faded. In the past, banquets were only held on important festivals, but now they are more common. During the year-end holidays, several members of a family even have to go to different banquets separately, and the expenditure of gifts and favors is becoming more and more like a "debt of favor". The improvement of living quality has made the rare things in the past become common, and more and more people choose to "pay the money instead of the people", and banquets have gradually become unpopular.

Being immersed in the hustle and bustle does not mean that the loneliness will disappear. These are real situations, but they have received very little attention. After all, people like to go to big markets and eat big banquets in short videos, which is inseparable from the heavy memory filter. The content presented in short videos is not completely distorted, but there is a preset perspective and lens language.

Is the real situation of the big market and big banquet important? It is important, we need to have some perception of reality and feel the traces of the changing times. But it seems not so important, because we will selectively immerse ourselves in the "beautiful world". So rather than saying that the countryside has become the traffic code of short videos, it is better to say that the countryside in short videos caters to people's expectations.

This expectation is a tracing back to the old countryside and a current homesickness.

4. Nostalgia

Some time ago, there was a trend of comparing the "dogs" before and after returning to the village on the Internet. The "dog emperors" who were once well fed and well fed at home let themselves go after returning to the village, which made people laugh.

The annual fixed hotspot #returning to the village life# is never absent. College students and white-collar elites who are dressed in adulthood in the city always become "Cuihua" and "Tiedan" after returning to the village. If netizens see a few middle-aged women chatting and basking in the sun together at the entrance of the village, they will not be able to help but joke that "in just a few minutes, someone has ruined his reputation."

The countryside seems to always have a kind of magic. No matter how glamorous a person (dog) is, as long as he returns to the village, he will be able to "wash away the lead and leave the mark of the countryside". Behind the high number of likes and high attention of these videos is the projection of homesickness. Because we cannot return to the village (home) for the time being, we will linger on the world in the short videos. Going to the big market, eating big banquets, dogs returning to the village, college students returning to the village, and aunts in the hometown constitute our hometown that we cannot return to for the time being. However, the lives of others in the short videos have become our extended perspective, allowing us to embark on the journey of returning home spiritually.

03 Conclusion

Shi Tiesheng discussed his hometown in "The Vanishing Bell". He said: "A person's hometown is not just a specific piece of land, but an extremely vast mood that is not restricted by space and time. Once this mood is evoked, you have returned to your hometown." The big markets and banquets evoke people's feelings for their hometowns. Under the continuous construction of short videos, the foundation of a spiritual hometown full of the flavor of human life is gradually solidified. Go to a big market, eat a big banquet, and you can slowly return home!

Author: Hu Jinyun, cultural industry critic, researcher at Sanchuanhui Cultural Tourism and Sports Research Institute; Editor: Shi Guang; Editor: Bandao

Source public account: Cultural Industry Review (ID: whcypl), China’s top new media for cultural industry.